Loving as a Christian duty is an act of the will and not a feeling or an emotional state of being. Let’s face it, humanly speaking, it is impossible to have a ‘loving feeling’ for everyone if that is our interpretation of Christian love. Heck, it is even impossible to love all our Christian brethren in our fellowship communities, how much more, loving everyone.
Even with grace, it is challenging but not impossible, to imagine a situation where one has a uniform loving feeling towards everyone they know and meet. However, we can be sure that with grace, it is possible to imagine one consciously behaving or acting with a charitable mindset towards all.
Then, our charitable acts or mindsets will not depend on how we feel about the person, but about our over-arching desire to OBEY GOD’S WORD, no matter the cost to us. Whatever it costs us is a negligible price when compared to the victory we got from Calvary and the daily blessings we continue to derive from that supreme sacrifice.
Loving my Neighbor:
WHY?
- Because Jesus Christ said so – It is a marching order, so to speak. A soldier does not question the commanding officer on the battle field. As soldiers of Christ, our inability to do this amounts to insubordination! We are equipped with grace through God’s Holy Spirit to do anything we are called to do. The question is whether we are willing or able to utilize the grace for said purpose. Jesus will never force us to obey Him, it is a matter of will and choice. But just as the disobedient soldier in combat finds out, there are always consequences to our choices. This is not a far-fetched scenario because life is a continuous battle. We love to claim victory in Christ, but then decide to pick and choose which of the rules He gave us for living a fruitful life we want to obey.
- Because all our good deeds, spiritual gifts and abilities are not impressive to God if we cannot love; only love adds value to what we do for God. We really should pause and chew on that everyday; it is another way to keep our spiritual pride in check, given that we will often fall short. Apostle Paul was crystal clear about it in his first letter to the Corinthians (chapter 13). Lengthy prayers and almsgiving; impressive knowledge and teaching of God’s Word; gifts of prophecy, healing and praying in tongues all amount to naught if we cannot consciously demonstrate love as called.
- Because as Christians, heaven is our goal and if we truly believe heaven is going to be our destination after this life, we need to practice how to love the different types of souls that we will meet there. Some of these might be people that we would not ordinarily care much for here on earth, but they are acceptable to God through Jesus and therefore have a place in God’s heart and at God’s table. Love is the only language and currency in heaven, and there is no selecting of friends, family members or neighbors. You just gotta speak that language to everyone to survive there, hence the need to practice it right here on earth before we are called home! As we pray “Thy Kingdom Come” in The Lord’s Prayer, we make the choice to practice Kingdom ethics in our earthly lives by obeying this commandment. As Paul noted, love is the greatest among the three virtues (faith/hope/love or charity) which will outlast all our temporary spiritual gifts that were given to us for building Christ’s church here on earth.
WHO?
- Anyone (irrespective of race/creed/socio-economic background) that we recognize to be in NEED (physical/emotional/spiritual/material). The response to the identified need is an act of the will, that is, a choice.
- Anyone God has placed in the path of our life’s journey or in our circle of influence. Family, friends/associates, strangers that we cross paths with. The gospel story of The Good Samaritan sums up who our neighbor can be.
HOW?
- By Action: By deliberating choosing to do something about or acting to meet the identified need in said person.
- In word: By praying for (interceding) or praying with the person; by gently correcting as and when necessary, humbly keeping in mind our own failures and short-comings; by encouraging the person.
- In thought: By consciously thinking positively about and /or looking for something presently or potentially good in the person. (Considering the person as Jesus would see them, another person He was crucified for).
These deliberate choices could help us fulfill Paul’s outline of the characteristics of love in Corinthians 13. We will grow in patience, kindness, hope, endurance and forbearance, always ready to excuse the motives of others. The deliberate choice to be charitable will also help us to avoid envy, boastfulness and conceit, rudeness and selfishness, resentment and the tendency to be provoked easily. This lifestyle of love will not appreciate iniquity in others, but it is not judgmental as it never gives up hope for the best in others.
Christian love or charity (Agape) is never easy because it will always run against our natural inclinations, which is to love and promote ourselves and our needs. We are not meant or designed to do it alone, we are required to always call on grace. May we develop the habit of always asking the Holy Spirit for help in identifying the need in our neighbor, and grace to meet that need in whatever way the Spirit directs us to. Amen.
‘Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love’ – 1 John 4:8
‘How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble’- Psalm 41:1
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Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 